We have seen in the previous chapter that Gautama
Buddha's messages to the humanity were not only inspiring but
intensely practical, terse and bereft of metaphysical speculations.
Yet, controversies arose about his teachings within a few
centuries, and while Buddhism indeed became 'Light of Asia1
and continues to illuminate the whole world, the organisation
was split into sects within a century after the Buddha's death.
This is indeed very strange, We shall try to explore the reasons
from the point of view of a modern Hindu.

, The Buddha was born in the Hindu society, went through
many of its religious/spiritual traditions, accepting some and
rejecting others, and his disciples came from different strata of
Hindu society with varying sansk&ra or conceptions of life.
Thus, there were controversies in his organisation even during
'his lifetime. When the Buddha abandoned the path of self-
mortification prior to his Enlightenment, he himself was aban-
doned by his five Brahmin colleagues, who later became his
disciples. Devadatta was apparently influenced by Mahavira's
•path of total non-violence. When the Buddha declined to
accept Devadatta's suggestion for total abstention from fish and